“Of course, you don’t have to go orderin’ us around. I know what’s what in the what. Now, I’ll see you people later. Don’t let this old fool get to you. He’s a talker.”
Henry watched as the woman hitched the vegetables back upon her ample hip and ambled down the road. In the distance, he could see a barn-like structure where people were setting up chairs around a massive table. Even at this distance, the smells of freshly cooked food was making Henry’s tight stomach take notice. His mouth watered as a sharp flavor of roasted parsnips floated by on the breeze.
“Kip, I meant to ask about this environment,” Henry said, trying to focus on the immediate. “I feel wind and breezes. Are you doing that? I don’t see the recirculatprs or even fans to carry the processors.”
“You got a mighty keen eye there, Henry,” Kip said, slowly walking them towards the party in their honor. “Anythin’ else you noticed about our little slice of heaven?”
“The air is at a precise stasis level for human life,” Glory replied. “How are you keeping the CO2 levels from spiking while cooking and exhaling?”
“Ayup, that’s a good one,” Kip replied, scratching his head and looking skyward. “The simplest answer I can give you is that the people who run this thing are a lot smarter than me. I just make sure when people like Diane and Circe Pennyweather get to nagging their husband, he doesn’t go off and try usin’ them as a scarecrow, if you know what I mean.”
“I do not,” the android replied, looking at Henry, who tried to wave off the question. “What do you mean use them as a scarecrow?”
Kip stopped and turned. He looked around the field for a moment until he saw a distant figure. When he motioned the android over, he held up her arm and pointed. On the far end of the plain, beyond swaying fields of wheat and corn, was what appeared to be a man dressed in the same clothes as Henry. There were no birds in the sky, so Henry wondered what they needed the device for.
“Now, that right there is a scarecrow,” Kip explained as if to a child while holding her hand and standing close. “It’s for scaring away the birds what eat our crops.”
“How would Diane and Circe use their husbands as scarecrows, if there are no birds?”
“Why, they’d just shove a stick up his ass and hang him in the field,” Kip replied, letting go of her hand but remaining too close for Henry’s comfort. “It solves one problem but creates a mess for me, I tell ya.”
“Does that thing happen often around here?” Henry said with a grin, trying to suppress the shivers down his spine. “I mean, you’re just kidding, right?”
Kip hummed and rolled his eyes as they turned back to the party. Glory fell into step with Henry and they walked together. He felt like reaching out and taking her hand to provide her with at least a little comfort. All things considered, she was still young in that body and his paternal feelings were kicking in. It was nice, and reminded Henry he had a mission to finish.
“Kip,” Henry called. “Do you ever have to go outside to fix the leaks? You said the system breaks down everything eventually, so you must have to venture out every once in a while.”
“Yeah, I know what yer askin’,” Kip replied. “We got pressure suits what do most of the work. And those that can’t or are too heavy, we have a shuttle we can use.”
“What model and range shuttle do you have?” Glory called to him, her tone implying a lack of interest in the answer. “I mean, it must be so old and worn out by now. I bet you would love a new XR-400 thermal bonded work-pod by now.”
“A what?” Kip replied. “I don’t know what that is, but what we got works great. It got us here and would get us home if we wanted too. We just don’t want to. Home is here now.”
“Well, if you’re not going to use it to leave Venus,” Henry said, deciding to toss subtlety aside, “can you let us use it? I need to get to my wife on Earth and—”
“No,” replied Kip, turning back to the pair. Where the smile had stayed on his face all along was now a deep grimace. “No, you can’t have the shuttle. Now let’s sit and eat lunch. I’m sure you’re starved. Enough questions.”
“But if we could just take it for a little while to get back to Earth,” Henry pleaded. “I can have the Alliance bring it back as soon as we can.”
“There is no Alliance, Henry. That’s what I’ve been tryin’ to tell you,” Kip said, anger darkening his pale face. “There is no Alliance and no Earth for you now. We need you here and here you’ll both stay. That’s final. There ain’t enough men for the women, nor women for the men. You two are gonna fit right in. Glory, I set up a place for you right near my room. Henry, the women-folk have already carved you a place, too. Now, sit and eat. I hear Marta baked a rhubarb apple pie.”
Stunned, Henry and Glory looked to each other. Hands ushered them to the table, where they were apparently the kings of the feast. Every woman was trying to get close to Henry, while Glory seemed to be flirting with at least seven men, before Kip ran them off. As the night wore on, Henry finally found a moment to speak to the android. She was smiling her pleasant smile, but he could see her skirt had been ruffled.
“Are you okay? Did they … touch you?” Henry asked.
“Yes,” replied the android. “We were touched in multiple places, but an oddly disproportionate number of times on my waste disposal feed.”
“They played grab-ass with an android?” Henry said, a smile cracking his face. “Men, go figure. Anyway, I want to ask you something.”
“Please, if the question is about my favorite frequency of the color spectrum or what flowering plant I admire most, don’t.”
“No, nothing like that, but…” Henry said, looking around to ensure their privacy. “What was that intel you gathered in your reconnaissance?”
The android thought for a long moment before answering. Her normally pleasant face took on an almost pout as she looked back at him. Henry was taken aback by how closely she could emulate human expressions, being an energy being as well as a pleasure android. Finally, she opened her mouth to speak.
“Teal, even though you didn’t ask,” she said with a pout. “And I like daisies. There. For the rest, we need to wait until the rest are gone. I’ll meet you back in our quarters from before.”
Henry watched the woman stand and walk away. Her emotions were coming along faster than he believed possible for an android, but the being inside was also young. For a fleeting moment he considered picking some of the daisies he had seen in the field along the way, but then thought better of it. He had an escape to plan and there was little room for flowers in what he needed to do.
12
Henry had already changed into his duty uniform by the time the android had returned. He had been treated to a meal of fresh-roasted vegetables and delicacies the likes of which he had not tasted in a decade. After being surrounded by the women of the village, he had finally broken away by telling Kip he needed to gather his meager possessions before moving in with two of them. The women had been delighted and offered to collect his things themselves while others bathed him, but he held off. It was the strangest sensation, being courted like a prized stud. It would be a story he would have to retell very carefully when he reunited with Emma.
“These men wish to have knowledge of the body I inhabit,” Glory said, stepping past the doorway into the small cabin. “Although built for the purpose, I do not believe this is an efficient use of my time.”
“You’re telling me,” Henry said, reaching across the small table in the corner to retrieve the android’s duty uniform. “Here, change back. I think we need to get outta here.”
Glory began to strip off the tunic and skirt. Henry had no qualms now about sharing the room with the android. Their immediate mission was far more important and he was over-stimulated anyway. He heard the clothing slump to the floor just as a tone came from the door. Looking at Glory, he stepped over to the door. The woman held the uniform up, covering her nudity with the tough material. Henry nodded as he pressed the
lock for the door. Kip was standing in the hallway wearing a wide smile and holding a plate of the delicious meal Henry had tasted earlier.
“Some of the women asked I bring this up to you,” Kip said, stepping closer to the door and Henry. “I told them you were probably stuffed, but you know women.”
“Um … thanks,” Henry replied, taking the wrapped plate. “It was all delicious, but I really just had to get my things so I could get moving. You know … women, right?”
“I know they won’t be happy seeing you two back in those clothes,” Kip said, stepping even closer to Henry and blocking the doorway with his skinny frame. “Now why don’t you just go ahead and change back into the clothes they gave you. It’ll make us all feel more comfortable with you. Most of these folks moved here to get away from uniforms like that.”
“Look, Kip,” Henry said, trying to position himself between the man and the android behind him. “You’ve all been very nice, and if things were different I’d be delighted to stay here, but I have a wife and I can’t just give that up. You have to believe me that I—”
“Well, ain’t that just a kick in the nuts,” Kip said, reaching up and placing a hand on Henry’s chest. “Now, I’m authorized to make sure you two don’t leave. Here we are, extending kindness to you and offering you our women and all, and you just up and get rude with us.”
“Wait just a minute, I’m not trying to be rude,” Henry said, reaching for the hand on his chest. “I just need to borrow your shuttle and get back to Earth. I have a family and I want to get back to them as soon as—”
The hand that wrapped around Henry’s was thin , but the old man was far stronger than he looked. He swung under Henry’s arm and broke off his attempt to push away. Kip’s other hand grabbed the front of Henry’s uniform and pulled him in tight. Henry could smell the food as it fell to the floor. He tried to push away, but Kip’s grip was like steel, and Henry could feel the heat from his breath as he spoke into his ear.
“You just don’t get it, do you?” Kip said, an edge of anger and menace in his voice. “Your family will get along without you. We need you. Otherwise all our kids will be marryin’ their own brothers and sisters. We can’t have that sorta thing now, can we?”
“Go to hell,” Henry said, dropping down onto one knee and pulling the other man with him.
As Kip stumbled forward, dragged down by the sudden movement, Henry brought his free hand up hard. The sound of Kip’s chin against Henry’s knuckles was loud and solid in the small room. His other arm was twisted as he tried to break away. The older man moved fast, though, recovering from the punch faster than expected. A kick to the man’s knees released his arm and Henry pushed backwards into the bed.
Kip tottered on the damaged knee but remained standing. He grabbed out for Henry’s foot, but the younger man was faster. He kicked out, smashing Kip in the chest with his boot. The satisfying grunt from the old man was good and made Henry’s blood run fast like the old days. Kip’s back hit the wall, straightening him and knocking his head into the door. Henry rolled back to his feet and prepared himself for another attack. Kip shook off the impact and brought his hands up, covering himself like an old-time boxer. It would have been comical, except when he jabbed out and connected with Henry’s chin, the impact nearly dropped the younger man to the floor.
“All you gotta do is agree to make love to these women and get us some fresh blood,” Kip said, his voice heaving under the effort. “Now what’s the big deal with that? Can’t you just pull down your pants and do what comes naturally?”
The conversation was ridiculous, and Henry lashed out with his foot to stop it. Kip grabbed his leg and twisted Henry around. He landed on the floor, and holding Henry’s leg, Kip moved forward and stood on the younger man’s back. He twisted Henry’s leg again, eliciting a scream and forcing Henry to stay still. Kip pulled a small device from his hip and held it up to the light, pressing a thumb button and letting out a loud crack of energy.
“I didn’t want to do this, you know,” Kip said, bringing the device down towards Henry. “We already got one slow kid in the colony. Now I don’t know if this thing will mess up your little swimmers, but you really left me with no choice.”
“Wait!” Glory called from the corner. “Wait, Kip. I’ve got something for you.”
Kip looked up at the android just as the uniform fell to the floor. His eyes goggled as he saw the exposed flesh. His grip loosened on Henry’s legs just enough and the man rolled away, unbalancing Kip just enough to fall to the ground. The device, held tightly in Kip’s hands as he fell, ended up underneath the man. There was a loud crack and Kip’s body jolted, and Henry lay panting and looking over at his inert form as Glory stepped over and kicked his body off the device.
“Can you walk, Henry Moore?” asked Glory. “I have the schematic of the building in my memory.”
“Yeah,” Henry replied, painfully sitting up. “I think so, but you gotta promise me something. From now on, you keep your clothes on, okay? I’m gonna have a hard enough time telling this story to Emma.”
“Affirmative,” Glory replied, reaching out and helping Henry to his feet. “I can comply. This position is far too exposed and we do not like the way males stare at us. It is uncomfortable.”
The two hurriedly wrapped Kip in the blanket from the bed. While Glory dressed, Henry checked the old man to make sure he was still alive. For a moment, Henry considered taking the plate of food from the floor. The trip to Earth would take a while and he would need to eat. Instead, he took up the stun device and tucked it into a pocket. When they were finished, Henry stepped to the door and looked out. There were no others in the hall, but the sound of the lift told him people were on the way.
“Is there another way to get out without using the lift?” Henry asked Glory. “We’re getting unwanted visitors.”
“Of course,” Glory replied, stepping past Henry and turning right down the corridor. “It is a long walk, though, so we had better hurry.”
Henry moved fast, stepping into the corridor and closing the door behind them. He jogged to catch up with the android as she turned several more times. Finally, they came to a door set into the bulkhead wall. Tendrils of light flowed from Glory’s fingers as she probed the edge of the frame. There was no keypad and Henry assumed the door operated by remote. Several seconds later, the door clicked and swung inwards. Henry could hear the sound of women behind them as they stepped through.
“They found us out,” Henry said, pulling the door closed as they entered one of the long catwalk areas above the plains of the station. “How much further?”
“We will need to cross over several more catwalks to achieve our goal. Please follow us,” Glory responded, breaking into a light jog. “At the next juncture, we turn left and then down.”
Henry ran as fast as his aching legs and hips could carry him. At the junction, they pivoted left and moved quickly along the catwalk, at a jog for what seemed like miles before Henry slowed to relieve the ache in his leg.
“Henry Moore, do you wish to stay here?”
“That bastard twisted my legs,” Henry said, rubbing his hip with the palm of his hand. “I thought you said we moved down?”
“Indeed,” replied the android, deftly leaping the railing to fall away from Henry.
He looked down as the woman landed lightly on a catwalk below. Henry shook his head at the fall, realizing he would never make it without injury or worse. The android looked up, beckoning to him with her arms. Henry gripped the rail, refusing to allow himself to feel fear. He couldn’t do it. His hands refused to release from the rail. He could feel his stomach rebelling again and the headache returning. His knees, already sore from the fight, wobbled in protest as he tried to force himself to move. In the end, it was the sound of voices along the catwalk behind him that forced him to close his eyes and jump.
Glory caught him deftly in her arms, putting him down and smiling. Her pleasant face was a strange sight as he opened his eyes. Sh
e turned away from him again and began jogging. Henry followed, eager to get away from the heights and the pursuing women. It took two more jumps before they reached the other bulkhead. Each time, Henry was forced to close his eyes and leap the railing. Each time, his heart felt like it would burst from the strain. He had never felt this kind of fear before and it was bothering him more and more.
Glory repeated the trick with the bulkhead again, opening the door and allowing them to enter another generic corridor. This time she moved slower and with more caution. Henry’s legs were relieved to not be running, but the new caution made the anxiety well up in him again. They rounded a corner and came face-to-face with Kip. This time, the man was holding Henry’s pistol in his hand.
“I wish you hadn’t done that,” he said, his voice raspy and pained. “I can’t let you leave, and now I’m gonna have to give you to the ugly ones.”
“We are not staying,” Glory said, stepping quickly to Kip’s side and grasping the weapon.
The pistol went off, blasting Glory away from Kip. She slammed into the deck hard. Henry looked at the woman lying on the deck without bleeding and let out a roar. He charged Kip, lowering his head and ramming the man in the stomach. The pistol dropped away as Kip was pushed into the airlock door, Henry ramming his fists into Kip’s stomach over and over. Kip tried to return blows from above, but he had no strength left. As Henry stepped back, Kip’s body fell to the floor, bleeding from his mouth, his breath coming in ragged gasps.
“Don’t you understand? I have a wife and a home to get back to and there is no force in this universe or any other that will stand in my way,” Henry said. “Now, one way or the other, we’re leaving. You can get out of my way or we can step over your body. Which is it?”
Kip looked up, eyes barely focusing on the two. The android had righted herself and now stood just behind Henry in the corridor. He coughed, blood spraying on the clean deck around him. Henry panted as he watched the man reach up. He held a button in his hand and he pressed it. The airlock light changed from red to green and the door slid open. Glory stepped to the man’s side and felt his pulse. She nodded back to Henry as she ran a hand over his body.
Resolute Glory (The War for Terra Book 8) Page 9
